Terrestrial Missile Launchers are launching mechanisms and platforms wherein missiles are fired from a fixed base. For this purposes, the missiles need to be transported from a warehouse or a silo to the launching base and effectively readied before deployment.
In today's warfare, with increased enemy surveillance, such fixed launching bases can easily be remotely profiled, located and targeted by an enemy, thus fracturing an important aspect of attack. Its immobility is one of its biggest hindrances.
Further, transportation of missiles from a silo to the launching base increases vulnerability to the enemy and provides them with an opportunity window to carry out destruction enroute. Destruction of missiles while being transported renders the launching platform useless and also causes a huge loss to the defenses.
As technology progresses, with increases surveillance, reconnaissance, targeting, offensive, and defensive systems in place, modern day warfare has progressed from static, open-faced warfare to dynamic, stealth, guerilla warfare; the underlying idea being to provide least possible awareness to the enemy about operating or firing locations. This need introduces the need for vehicles and mobile units, some of which may be even remotely monitored.
Typically, an Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) is a terrestrial vehicle especially built and adapted for the purposes of combat and warfare. An AFV is protected with armour and armed with weapons for action on the battlefield.
Alternatively known as military land vehicles, the AFVs are typically a family of trucks and tanks suited for action within a battlefield and adapted to traverse a variety of terrain from hard concrete and tar to sand to semi-soft ground to swampy marshy land with ease. However, they cannot be used for deploying and launching long range missiles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,140 discloses a missile launcher assembly which includes a fixed platform and further assemblies for missile support and launch. However, fixed launchers have their disadvantages as discussed above.
Smaller weapon systems can easily be fitted onto such vehicles to achieve short range target compatibility. Combat land vehicles with rocket launchers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,961 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,881.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,433 discloses a launcher platform (on a vehicle) which includes a support structure and a number of rails mounted on the support structure for supporting missiles thereon. This assembly is not suitable for long range heavy missiles which cannot be launched at an angle and which require stable ground support to dampen the recoil thrust that is developed during launch.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,224 discloses a missile transporter-launcher which describes a launcher carried on the flatbed of a mobile vehicle to provide the dual role of missile transporter and pre-launch positioning of its multi-missile payload. Although articulating means are described in this patent, the articulating means provides elevation to the missiles up to a certain angle only. As is the case with U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,433, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,224 is not suitable for long range heavy missiles with heavy payloads as they need a firm base for dampening the recoil thrust developed during launch.
There is a need for improvement in missile carrying vehicles; to deploy missiles from said vehicle, to make it terrestrially mobile in order to skillfully improve ground coverage in war zones. There is also a need for a fast articulating launcher assembly which increases the military's ability to operate with agility without compromising on ground movement and thus decreasing the threat of being noticed.